❝ I'm sorry ❞

a hospital room. If she looked back, after Yamato and herself managed to report the mission, Shizuka immediately fainted. Maybe that's when she was immediately taken to the hospital.

It was her fault that she insisted on reporting even though Sakura had suggested for her to immediately go to the hospital.

"You're awake," the girl turned towards the sliding door, there were Tsunade and Kakashi who just come in, their expressions look relieved. "How careless you are! If you knew you're sick, or even had a big wound, you should go straight to the hospital! Don't act so strong!"

"I apologize," she replied with a slight bow, grimacing when she felt the pain in her stomach.

Kakashi saw it and immediately gave her a bored look. "Don't move much yet," he scolded.

"Kakashi is right, your wound is quite difficult to handle," explained Tsunade. "What made you get that wound?"

"Naruto," she trailed off. "He turned into a four tail. When I wanted to seal it, he attacked me."

"The fourth tail huh," Kakashi nodded slightly. They just talked about it the day before the mission began and it happened immediately. They got jinxed. For sure.

Then Shizuka told them everything. From the start when they met Kabuto, Naruto entered Nine-Tails Cloak, Orochimaru, and Naruto's fight with the snake sage.

"We have to take care of Naruto and his emotions. He got easily provoked, especially if it's about Sasuke," Kakashi sighed, then he took out a book with an orange cover and put it on the nightstand. "Here Shizuka, I'm being kind enough to lend you this ~ "

"I don't need that, nanodayo!"

"Kakashi!"

○○○

"Shi-chan!!!" That shrill voice was heard when Shizuka appeared with Kakashi at Naruto's training ground. She frowned slightly at the nickname but not bothering to correct him as she finds it useless.

The teenager waved his hand happily, like a child. His mouth formed a wide grin. "What about your mission? Success, right? Why are you the only one who went on the mission? I want to go too!!" he complained, pouting.

The girl glanced at Kakashi who was also glancing at her back with a 'get along with it' look before sighing. "I brought my lucky item, of course my mission will be successful, nanodayo," she replied while pushing up her glasses.

No one seems to have told Naruto that he was the one who injured her. Instead, he made the excuse that she was going on a mission even though she was actually being treated at the hospital.

"Enough chit chat, continue your training, Naruto," ordered Kakashi, the two of them immediately walked towards Yamato who was on standby to stop the kyuubi chakra if it would come out.

Shizuka sat next to him, watching the ground which had been riddled with holes due to Naruto's new jutsu. It seems. She still didn't know what the boy was doing. "Thank god you're here, Shizuka," said Yamato. "When I'm tired, you replace me, okay?"

"Ah, so this is the reason why you brought me here," she concluded.

"Yes, to stop the Kyubi of course," Yamato nodded. "Tsunade-sama told us to train Naruto."

"Didn't he already master the wind release?" she wondered.

"I thought that too, but Tsunade-sama said Naruto has to be stronger than before," explained Kakashi. "We still don't know how strong all members of Akatsuki is. So we have to be alert and ready if something happens."

"And what is he doing right now?"

"He is making a new jutsu. Like the newest version of Yondaime's Rasenggan," he replied.

"Speaking of Yondaime, Jiraiya-sama once said that it looks like Yondaime's seal is weakening, right?" Shizuka's question succeeded in making both of them look at her seriously.

"Yes, what about it?"

"I heard —no, I know Yondaime is very talented when it comes to fuinjutsu, but there is something that intrigued me," she trailed off. "Why did he seal the Kyuubi on Naruto and seal half of it on himself? I just thought that ... did Yondaime hope that Naruto could control the Kyuubi?"

The question succeeded in making them surprised. "You mean, like the Eight-Tailed Jinchuriki from the Cloud village huh?"

"Yes."

"If that's true and Naruto can do it, it will be much better for the village and the safety of Naruto himself," explained Kakashi, his eyes staring at Naruto who was still trying to perfect the jutsu. "But the problem is, how? We don't have a good relationship with Cloud Village. "

"You're right."

Several hours passed with the three of them watching Naruto training. Yamato who occasionally complains of being tired but still handles Naruto immediately when the Kyuubi's chakra comes out, Shizuka who is busy reading a book, trimmed her nails and heals his wounds, and Kakashi who reads his adult novel while lying on the bench Yamato made.

"I am hungry!! Let's eat ramen, dattebayou!!" asked Naruto enthusiastically, looking at his teammates (actually they're more like his bodyguards) hopefully.

"No. Always eating ramen is not good, nanodayo," said Shizuka stoically. "Moreover, you just did a hard training."

"Oh come on, Shi-chan!!" Naruto groaned.

"Hmph. I suggest we eat red beans," she said, looking straight at the shop that was selling a variety of red bean dishes.

"No!!! Ramen is so much delicious, dattebayo!"

"Red beans are more delicious and nutritious, nanodayo!"

"Ramen!"

"Red bean."

"Dattebayou!"

"Nanodayo!"

"Even though I really like seeing you guys close and flirting with each other, I suggest you stop, " said Kakashi. "We're in the middle of the road and it's disturbing other people!"

They ended up at the Okonomiyaki shop, at Yamato's suggestion. They sat at a corner table, near the window. With Kakashi still reading his novel, Yamato trying to be the responsible adult, Naruto who was sulking, and Shizuka who folded her arms, glaring at Naruto.

"I'm sure you guys are hungry. Why don't we order something?" Yamato suggested.

"But I want ramen!" Naruto grumbles, but his hands take the menu book that is placed in the middle of the table." Uncle! Could we get squid, pork, and mixed okonomiyaki, please!"

All three of them facepalmed, and he said he didn't want okonomiyaki.

"I heard that Akatsuki has managed to take two tails and seven tails," Yamato spoke. "What actually is their purpose in collecting the tailed beasts?"

"I don't know Yamato, no one knows. But what I'm sure is that it will destroy the shinobi world," Kakashi shrugged, resting his chin with his palm, watching the bickering of the teenager beside him.

"Oi, Naruto! Don't play with the food, nanodayo!" Shizuka scolded. Her piercing green eyes stared at the teen who was turning the okonomiyaki dough by throwing it up.

"I'm not playing, dattebayou!" Argued Naruto, grinning. "This is called cooking skills."

"I doubt it, you can only cook instant ramen."

"Don't be so mean, Shi-chan!"

"What's wrong with you guys, bickering every day," Yamato sighed, looking tired just by watching their bickering.

"Gosh, Yamato, it's like you don't know," said Kakashi, there's a glint of amusement in his eyes. "They're just flirting with their own ways."

"We certainly not!" Shizuka pushes her glasses up to return her expression to normal. "Besides, I have more important things to do then—"

Her words stopped when she felt something land on her head. Looks like the okonomiyaki that Naruto threw didn't land where he wanted it to. And at that moment, the entire table fell silent. Yamato's already wide eyes widened even more, Kakashi who only blinked a few times, and Naruto who are already sweating bullets.

The girl's eyebrows were twitching in annoyance, and irk marks appeared on her forehead. "Excuse me," with a stoic face, she stood up, making a b-line towards the male.

"Wait, wait, it's just an accident... Shi-chan! Shi-chan!" his plead felt deaf on her ears as she just grabbed his jacket's collar and dragged him outside the shop. "Shi-chan, Shi-chan, wait... I'm sorry AAARGH!!!"